The Breaking of the Sisterhood
by romantic-ruffles
Summary: Bee, Tibby, Lena and Carmen have all gone off to college. However, every weekend, they meet up and do PantsyAffairs. What happens when one of them breaks away?
1. The Seventh Weekend

**The Breaking of the Sisterhood**

Bee, Tibby, Lena and Carmen are all gone to college, however, every weekend they meet up and do some Pantsy-Affairs. What happens when one of them breaks away?

_**Prologue-A Meeting at Gilda's**_

**CARMEN-The Summer Before**

There we were, all sitting in Gilda's for the usual Traveling Pants ritual. We (by this, I mean Bee, Lena, Tibby and me:Carmen—we've been "we" for as long as I can remember) all chewed hard on our gummy bears and thought about what we had to say.

Tibby opened up the ceremony. She said, "After this summer, we are all going to different colleges in different towns."

Bee followed, "We won't be seeing much of each other anymore."

Lena continued, "How to preserve our friendship?"

I concluded, "By passing the Pants around, of course."

Bee spoke to put down my idea. She seemed irritable and annoyed. "But _Carmen_," she said pointedly, "we can't WASH the Pants."

"SO?" I half-yelled, "what difference does that make? The Pants keep us together when we're apart! We're all going to different colleges! The Pants will keep us together!"

"Really?" said Bridget sarcastically, "so we're all going to keep passing the Pants around and each of us is going to wear it all year round for four years? Don't you think, my _dear_ Carmen that the Pants are going to stink up if we keep wearing it so often? And we can't WASH it, remember!"

I paused.

And then Lena spoke, "GUYS! STOP ARGUING!"

"Yeah," Tibby said, "this is our last day together. Don't ruin it."

I hung my head, ashamed, "Sorry. It's just—" my voice caught. "We'll—we'll never see each other again and I—"

"It's OK, Carma!" Tibby consoled, "we'll find a way to still be together!"

"Yes," said Lena, all business-like now, "but, you know Bee's right. We can't keep passing the Pants around and don't WASH it! And the Pants are strictly for summers only!"

I felt a little ashamed. I had been fighting with Bee. ME! I'm supposed to be the glue that holds us together!

"Sorry, Carma," Bee said quietly.

I apologized back to her.

_**Chapter 1-The Seventh Weekend**_

**CARMEN-WHERE ARE THEY?**

That was that. The summer before we split up. Today is Saturday. The Saturday of the seventh weekend since we've been apart. Bee went to soccer school. Tibby went to film-making school. Lena decided to go into the art-design industry. And what about me? I just went to boring old business school. My mother thought it was best since I didn't have any special talent or ambition.

I took the bus back to Bethesda. We decided that every second Saturday we would come to see each other. No Pants. The Pants are still in my cupboard at home, waiting for the Summer.

"BETHESDA!" the bus conductor yelled, "BETHESDA, GET OFF HERE!"

I marched off the bus as it zoomed away.

Ah. Back home. I took in the fresh air and continued back to my apartment where I embraced warmly with my mother, Christina and her husband David.

"I'm going to—to meet the rest, Mum," I said and set off for Gilda's where we always meet.

I brought my stash of gummy bears and nachos and sat down on the cool dark wooden floor. It was nine o' clock. We always meet at nine.

I sat there and waited in vain for my friends.

"WHERE ARE THEY?" I yelled at nine thirty. STILL nobody.

At nine forty-five, Lena jogged in, sweaty and panting, with her radio—the music.

"Sorry, Carma!" she apologized at once seeing my huffy face, "where's the rest?"

"NOT HERE YET!" I exploded, "_I'm _the ONLY one who came on time, at nine! You—nine forty-five! Tibba-dee and Bee? NO SHOW YET!"

"SORRY! There was this BEAUTIFUL art piece I had to finish! It's off the lake in Greece! Honestly, Carmen, I lost track of time!"

At ten fifteen, Tibby came in.

She saw me and Lena.

"SORRY!" Tibby yelled, "Mr. Michigan—our director, I mean, INSISTED I stay in and finish the shooting off the guys coz he said I was the best!"

"LENA AND I HAVE BEEN SITTING HERE DOING NOTHING FOR ONE HOUR AND FIFTEEN MINUTES!" I shouted, "AND LENA ONLY CAME AT NINE FORTY-FIVE! AND BEE STILL HASN'T SHOWN UP!"

No sooner had I said that, Bridget strolled into the room, in full sporting gear—sports bra and micro-mini shorts. Her face was all red.

"Sorry, guys!" she said, "there was a soccer tournament no one told me about! And the Honey Bees—that's my team after the real live one in Alabama—INSISTED I play!"

"REALLY?" I screeched, "I'M THE ONLY ONE WHO CAME ON TIME AND THE REST OF YOU JUST LAZE OFF AND MAKE EXCUSES AND COME ONE AND A HALF HOURS LATE!"

**nest chapter up soon!**


	2. A Fight

WOOOO! Thanks to all reviewers! Sorry it took such a long time but I was having a whole lot of tennis lessons…

**A/N: Right. You know that part in the first chapter that talks about what schools they went to? That was before I read the third book (Girls in Pants). So just ignore that part…I'll change that soon. They're in college. Bee's in Brown, Tibby's in NYU, Lena's in RISD and Carmen's in Williams…**

* * *

_**Chapter 2 – A Fight?**_

Lena, Tibby and Bee all burst out with "sorry"s and "but he INSISTED! But she INSISTED!"

"Really?" Carmen fired back, jumping to my feet, "Well, _I_ INSIST you come on time!"

They all just sat in silence, staring at her pace the room angrily.

"I _thought_ you all cared about our friendship. I _thought _you guys were just as scared and worried about our friendship as I was. I _thought_ we were all too good friends to just…forget about each other's—each other's _feelings_-" Carmen sniffed as tears filled her eyes. "-and hurt each oth—oh ok, hurt ME. Obviously, I was wrong." Carmen angrily picked up the food she had brought and walked over to the door.

It seemed to bring Lena, Tibby and Bridget back to life. They ran to Carmen.

"We're sorry," Lena consoled, "it really, really, REALLY won't happen again!"

"We _do _care about you," Bridget reassured, "more than anything in the world!"

Tibby wiped Carmen's angry tears away from her face.

"Oh, _really_?" Carmen shouted, "that's what you say! Well, you know what? Easier said than done. You guys just talk and talk but do you really mean it? NO! You're just doing this so—so that it'll look like our friendship is still steady! Well, it's NOT! Even if we weren't fighting, you should know. _Our friendship is deteriorating. _We talk less and less on the phone and our letters are becoming shorter and further apart."

Lena looked at the floor and whispered, "Oh, Carma, it doesn't matter. We're still the best of friends and will always be."

"Yeah," said Tibby unenthusiastically, glancing at her watch.

"_You_!" Carmen shrieked at Tibby, "I saw that! So _eager_ to leave, are you? And you're saying "yeah" like you don't even care! I—I know! You DON'T care anymore, do you? Have all your famous film-star friends and forget all about your old ones? I knew it! We don't mean anything to you anymore!"

"You're wrong," said Tibby coldly. "Why do you always think you're right, Carmen? WHY? You just assume and jump to conclusions like a bratty—a bratty brat! Which you most definitely _are_. You think you know everything. You think no one has feelings to do BUT you. I wanted you to be happy for me. I thought you would be when I told you that Mr. Michigan is taking me and a few others to Hollywood next week. But you don't care about me, do you? All you care about is yourself. You and your selfish self. You think that everything is about you. You think the world revolves around you. We have _busy _schedules now. I'm going to Hollywood, hello! Bee is going to help the United States qualify for the frickin' World Cup, for God's sake! Lena's going to represent the state in the Regional Art Competition! Or don't you know this? Because YOU don't care. You never bother to ask us what's going on with us. It's YOU who doesn't care about US, not the other way around." Tibby glared heatedly at Carmen.

Carmen let out a scream of agony and hatred, threw an ugly glance at Tibby across the room and flounced out the room without another word.

"Tibby," said Lena desperately, "you…Carmen…"

Tibby looked at Lena and said slowly, "Sorry, Lenny, I don't think I'll be hanging around _that _bitch anymore." She quickly hugged Lena and Bee and told them that she would be heading back to NYU. "What a waste of time," she muttered under her breath and left.

Lena and Bridget were left standing there like rocks, watching the departure of both fuming girls; Carmen and Tibby.


	3. Split Apart

**Right. Another chapter, here…**

* * *

_**Chapter 3 – Split Apart**_

**LENA - Uh-Oh!**

Bridget and I turned to each other.

"_That _went well," Bridget breathed heavily.

"I don't believe it!" I suddenly flared up, "what was all that about? Tibby and Carmen…fighting!" I shuddered. "Bee…we have to get them back together."

Bridget remained silent. And then—"How?"

I put my head in my hands. "I don't know. You know how Tibby gets."

Bridget reached over and patted my arm. "Oh, Lenny, we'll do it somehow. We'll be together again. We're too good friends to…you know…never speak to each other again or whatever."

I shook my head, "You don't understand, Bee. Carmen was right. We speak to each other less and less and writing letters have become a chore. Even when we come back here—to Gilda's—we spend less time here now." I had a sinking feeling in my chest.

Bee looked forlornly at Gilda's, the mats, the boards, the office.

"Well, I guess you're right." Bridget finally admitted. "We're no longer "we", are we? We're four different people now. Four different people, busy schedules, hardly time for each other."

"Yeah," I said, "I guess this is the end of the Septembers." I sighed. _It can't be. We've been the best of friends for eighteen years. Through thick and thin. This can't be the end of us. IT CAN'T!_

"We can try to save us, though," I said, hoping my heart believed it, too.

"How?" Bridget asked again, "if you're suggesting spending more time together…I have to practice for the World Cup. It's only six months away." She looked dejectedly at the floor.

I was cruelly reminded of the Regional Art Competition. It was two weeks from today. Most of the participants from RISD were practicing like crazy. Oh, except ME. Shit.

"I dunno," I said, pushing it from my mind, "but, right now, I really should go. You know…the Regionals. And you should probably be practicing too." I picked up my radio and walked out. Bridget ran after me.

"We'll take the same bus, then," she said.

"You didn't bring your car?" I asked, surprised.

"No. There wasn't really time."

We boarded the eleven o' clock bus together and sat down next to each other.

Bee took out a clipboard which was outlining some soccer strategy—it was labeled with things like 'offense', 'defense', 'switch to midfield', 'penalty kick—achieve zero-zero', 'Davis goalie penalties—'and 'dribble to midfield, kick, pass, turn, score.'

I took out my sketchbook and began drawing the bus seat. Several times, I tried to start a conversation but we fell silent shortly after that. Then I gave up and just drew for the rest of the journey.

Bee got off at one point. She cleared her throat which made me look at her and sort of waved half-heartedly. I did the same.

When the bus stopped at RISD, I got off and went straight to my room. Quickly, I sketched two more pictures—one of Gilda's as I remembered it and the next of Greece. I painted that too but instantly regretted it as it made me think of Kostos.

I put down my paintbrushes and tried to set my thoughts straight again.

_Kostos is married. He has (does he?) a baby. DON'T THINK ABOUT HIM. He ruined your life. Sort of, anyway._

Right then, some roommates barged in and began examining my work and praising it.

"Thanks," I said, glad. They left for lunch and I began clearing up.

_BEE didn't praise your work,_ a nasty voice from the back of my mind whispered. _SHE's supposed to be one of your BEST friends and she didn't say a thing the whole way._

I tried to push it away. _Why do you even consider that Bridget Vreeland your friend?_

"Nooooo," I howled, collapsing to the floor on my knees, "stop it! Bee is my friend!"

_Then why didn't she praise your work? Or talk to you the whole journey? _

"Because," I said firmly, "she was busy and worried about the World Cup."

_Stop trying to convince yourself stupid things. You and Bridget Vreeland have grown apart. She's selfish. She doesn't care about what you do. All she thinks about is herself and what is important to her._

"No," I said again, desperately.

_Oh, YEAH RIGHT. Stop trying to kid yourself, Lena. Why do you like that girl? She's not REALLY your friend. There's no reason to continue being her friend. Just break away from her right now. You've got better, more loyal friends now. No reason to stay friends with that Vreeland. Or even Lowell or Rollins anymore. They all hate each other and don't care about you. They're ALL selfish brats. You HATE them. You HATE them! YOU HATE THEM!_

"I do?" I said to myself, perplexed, "no…but then why didn't Bee even _comment _on my work? And Tibby and Carmen. They didn't even care how hard their fight is on me. They all really ARE selfish, self-centered brats."

* * *

**Hey y'all! Yeah, yeah, so now Lena hates them all too. I know it says only ONE of them breaks away but…now they all are fighting. Except Bee, really. She doesn't know Lena hates her yet. **

**I'll update soon! Chapter 4!**


End file.
